


The Point of Light

by ananke610



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-04 22:49:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15157325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ananke610/pseuds/ananke610
Summary: An alternate look at who Pink Diamond could've been, and how she became who she is.





	1. Emergence

**Author's Note:**

> I like the Pink Diamond reveal, but I'm not crazy about the given backstory, so this is my own take on a Pink Diamond backstory, beginning at her beginning, and leading up to the rebellion.

She emerged, and for a moment the light was blinding. She blinked and the blurred forms before her suddenly coalesced into three towering figures; one all in blue, one all in yellow, one all in white. She knew who they were before any of them spoke.

“Welcome, sister,” White Diamond said with a smile. “We weren’t sure you were ever going to emerge.”

Despite her smile, the reproach in her voice was unmistakable, and Pink Diamond knew at once that she had failed in some way.

“I’m sorry,” she said uncertainly. She glanced behind her and saw a towering cliff face, sheer, glimmering stone marred only by the four deep holes carved out of it’s surface.

“Don’t worry about it,” Yellow Diamond laughed. “She’d be disappointed no matter when you showed up. Come on, we’ll show you around.”

She was led away from the cliff face toward a massive palanquin, white and glinting silver. Three pearls waited within. They curtsied when they saw her. “Welcome, my Diamond,” each pearl murmured in turn. 

White Diamond moved to the control panel and set the palanquin in motion. Soon they were moving across the planet’s gleaming surface, toward a city that seemed to be carved, seamless, from the same material they scurried over.

“It’s beautiful,” Pink, whispered, shocked. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but the city far surpassed any of the brief images she’d had time to conjure up.

“Of course it is,” White Diamond said haughtily. “It’s mine.”

“Ours,” Yellow cut in sharply. “It’s been nearly 8,000 orbits since you reigned alone.”

“Don’t fuss, Yellow,” Blue Diamond sighed. “Our sister has just joined us. We need not fight.” Yellow Diamond sighed and rolled her eyes, but made no further remark.

They entered the city at a hurried pace, and were soon approaching a great palace. The doors in some places stretched taller than White Diamond, and in others would hardly have reached Pink’s knees. She realized at once why that was when she spotted the dozens of gems scurrying in and out of the building. They were in every color, every design. Pink had existed less than an hour, and already she was overwhelmed by the sights before her.

“This is ours?” She asked, softly shocked. “All of this?”

For the first time White seemed truly pleased by Pink Diamond. “Yes. All of this is ours, to share and rule. And you haven’t even been told about the colonies!”

“Colonies?” Pink asked curiously. “Where?”

“Not here,” White Diamond laughed. She gestured upward toward the bright mass of stars above them. “Other planets,” she explained. “Spreading throughout the galaxy. Our ever-expanding kingdom.”

“Can I see them?” Pink Diamond asked eagerly. She had already seen so much, she couldn’t imagine what wonders waited in the stars.

“You haven’t even been properly welcomed to this planet,” Yellow Diamond told her, exasperated. “Have some patience.”

Blue Diamond peered out through the curtains of the palanquin. “You won’t have to be patient for much longer. We’ve arrived.”

There were several loud clanks as the legs of the palanquin grasped the wide stone archway and delivered them neatly into the hall.

Pink stared around the massive room, taken aback once again by how grand it all was. There were magnificent carvings on every wall and across every surface. Many of them seemed to depict battles, gems of every kind facing foes of even stranger and more numerous shapes. Holograms spun, glittering, across the ceiling, displaying incredible views of strange planets and glittering starscapes. The floor was uneven, comprised of twisting staircases clearly meant to allow gems of all sizes to stand where they could be easily seen by the towering Diamonds. The focus of the room was on a massive multi-tiered dais displaying four thrones. The thrones themselves were arrayed into the shape of a diamond, with a single throne on both the top and bottom step and two thrones side by side on the middle step. “Wow,” she whispered.

“I know,” Blue whispered back. “Marvelous, isn’t it?” Pink could only nod.

White Diamond was already striding toward the dais. “Come, we must take our seats so the entertainment can begin!” she called.

Pink Diamond hurried after her sisters across the room, reminding herself that she was a Diamond too. Just like them. The ruler of not only this spectacular place but of the whole planet, and many more planets that she hadn’t even seen! She took her place proudly on the lowest throne. “What’s the entertainment?” she asked.

“Dancing, singing, fighting. You’ll love it,” Yellow told her.

White Diamond tapped the control pad on the arm of her throne and a sudden, deep tone rang out through the hall. It made Pink’s teeth rattle, and she resisted the urge to flinch. Before she could ask what it was, it became apparent. It was a summoning. 

Gems poured into the room through the many doors and began filing across the many staircases toward the thrones.One by one they approached.

Pink was gripped by anxiety, not knowing what to expect as the first of the gems began to reach her. Four Emeralds lined up before her. They all saluted, and in unison intoned, “Welcome, my Diamond.” 

Not knowing what to do, Pink smiled a little and inclined her head. The Emeralds backed away, moving toward the sides of the room as another group approached. The same thing happened, again and again, as Pink’s face began to ache from smiling. There seemed to be no end to the rows of gems, and she glanced over her shoulder toward Blue Diamond, hoping for some clue as to how long this would go on. Hadn’t she been promised entertainment?

“Patience,” Blue sighed at her, and she turned back to face the masses of gems, resigned.

After what seemed like an eternity, the line came to an end, and the gems who had come to greet their ruler were arrayed around the sides of the room arranged on the stairs so they could clearly see the dais and the space before it. White Diamond rose to her feet.

“I am glad to see all of you here today,” she said. “This is a day of great celebration. At last, my youngest sister has emerged to take her place beside us. You are the most honored gems, who have been chosen to greet your newest ruler, Pink Diamond!”

The crowd erupted into cheers. Pink was startled both by the emotion and by White’s indication that this was not the entire city, as she had first assumed, but rather a chosen group. She looked up at her, and White Diamond gestured subtly for her to rise. Pink stood up, and the cheers rose in volume until the noise made her head ache.

With a gesture, White Diamond silenced the crowd. “It is time now for the entertainment to commence!” she called. The crowd instantly settled, and a hush fell over the room as everyone looked expectantly toward a low, ornate set of doors on the far side of the room. 

They swung open and out came a dozen pearls, twirling across the room in an amazing, intricate dance. They were pale as ivory and dressed in white except for the pink ribbons on their slippers and the faint pastel pink of their hair. They were identical but for the placement of their faintly glinting gems. Their dance was seamless, perfect, and Pink was struck again by the wonder of such a display being arranged for her benefit. Her astonishment didn’t ease as the cycle wore on. 

After the dancing pearls, the floor was ceded to quartz soldiers who demonstrated their immense fighting skills in brutal combat with one another. Each fight raged until one gem was forced to release her form. It was an impressive display of both strength and skill, but Pink Diamond felt uneasy, for reasons she couldn’t quite place. It unsettled her to have all this done in her honor and in her name. She didn’t want to see gems hurt for her entertainment, and she was secretly glad when a halt was finally called, though the spectators were clearly disappointed.

She hoped her feelings weren’t apparent, but she feared her sisters could tell that she was not enjoying the celebration quite as she was meant to. I’m already doing this wrong she thought frantically, as White Diamond rose to conclude the gathering. How can I ever be like them?

“Thank you once again for joining us on this momentous occasion,” White Diamond called. “You may now disperse. My sisters and I must rest, and confer. Pink Diamond will speak to the city at the start of the next cycle.”

I will? Pink Diamond thought, startled. She couldn’t imagine addressing the whole city. The weight of the expectations that she could feel taking shape around her felt crushing, frightening. How am I supposed to lead these gems? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do!

“Relax, sister,” Blue Diamond told her softly as the room emptied. “It is daunting, I know. But we are here to help you.”

Yellow Diamond moved toward them, adding, “We are here to advise you, and to advise one another.”

“It will not take you long to adapt to your role,” White Diamond said, almost gently. “This is what you were made for.”


	2. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pink Diamond's dissatisfaction grows as she struggles to deal with problems on Homeworld and the confines of her position.

Pink Diamond paced furiously through her rooms, frustration boiling beneath her skin. Her first cycle of existence had left her dazzled and frightened by the responsibility before her, but as the orbits wore on, her initial reaction gave way to a grim distaste for her “role”. She could not leave the palace and walk through the city without every gem she passed leaping to attention and saluting.

She hadn’t minded at first, of course. She was their Diamond, their ruler. Of course they would be awed by her presence. But as time wore on she slowly accepted that their response was far more fear than awe. 

And of course the Diamonds terrify them! She thought bitterly. Her sisters’ law was harsh, holding each gem to their role, and to their caste. Those who could not, or would not, fulfill their purpose were destroyed without a thought. Pink could not understand it, and she could not abide it. 

But what can I do? She despaired. She was one, and far less powerful than any of her sisters. So she paced, her thoughts chasing themselves around in circles.

“Are you well, my Diamond?” a soft voice inquired from the doorway.

Pink spun, fury rising at the interruption. It was quickly quelled when she realized the intruder was a pearl. Not hers, of course. She didn’t need another gem hovering around her waiting for orders. It was one of the white pearls. There were dozens of them in the palace, and White Diamond was constantly sending them to spy on her, or check up on her, or any one of a thousand excuses to see what she was up to without White actually having to talk to her. They didn’t talk much, of late.

“I’m fine,” she told the pearl tensely. “What does my sister want this time?”

The pearl curtsied nervously, “My Diamond wishes to know if you will be attending the meeting this afternoon. New colonies will be decided upon.”

“No,” Pink snapped. “Tell her I have no interest in her latest avenues of destruction.” 

“Yes, my Diamond,” the pearl replied quickly. She saluted and hurried out of the room.

The damned colonies again Pink thought morosley, flinging herself onto the nearest chair. She had been so excited about them at first, eager to see what else there was in the galaxy, ready to be awed by her new kingdom.But the completed colonies were grim, boring places, nothing but chunks of rock riddled with kindergartens. She thought seeing a colony in progress would be better. There would at least be new, exciting forms of life to explore. But those, she quickly found, were much worse. 

Her sisters cared nothing for organic life, regardless of sentience. “What does it matter?” Blue had asked her once as they stood in her palanquin watching a poisoned alien sea wash up dead creatures. “They’re organics. They die either way. At least this way the universe gets something lasting from their planet.”

That was nearly sixteen orbits ago, now. Pink wondered grimly if there was anything left of that planet or if the colony had already been completed. She found that she didn’t really want to know. And she definitely didn’t want to know the latest plans for expansion. 

Is there any species in the universe more deadly than gems? She wondered.

She was grateful when a low note sounded from the notification module on her desk, distracting her from her dark thoughts. She called up a holoscreen and was immediately greeted by one of her Morganites.

“My Diamond,” Morganite said, saluting. “There’s trouble in district 42 again.”

“Again?” Pink Diamond asked, frowning. Trouble flared up in the area periodically, but it had been quiet for nearly a full orbit. “What happened?”

“Another ruby riot,” Morganite explained. “I guess they’ve been having trouble with the amethyst guards for a while. We’re rounding up as many as we can, but a few buildings are on fire.”

Pink Diamond felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over her, and for a moment she was tempted to close the screen and leave the problem to someone else. And who would that be? She thought grimly. If the other Diamonds handle this every ruby in the district will end up in shards.

“I’m on my way,” she told Morganite. The holoscreen didn’t turn off fast enough for her to avoid seeing Morganite salute her one more time.

The scene was worse than she’d imagined. It always was, somehow, no matter how many of these damned riots she dealt with. Struggling rubies were being shoved into fireproof containment vehicles. Poofed gems, rubies and amethysts, lay scattered in the streets. There were shards just laying in the dust. She had to turn away.

Thankfully, Morganite appeared, giving a hasty salute before launching into the report. “At least sixty rubies involved. A few dozen amethysts, but things got messy when the rubies started fusing.” 

“Of course,” Pink sighed. Nothing made these situations messier than fusion. “How many shattered?” she asked tensely.

“Not many,” Morganite said carelessly. “A few rubies. We didn’t lose any amethysts, at least.”

Pink wanted to shout at her that any number of gems shattered in the street was unacceptable, but she knew there was no point. “How many in custody?” she asked instead.

“Around twenty so far. What do you want us to do with them?” Morganite asked.

“Take them to the containment facility. I’ll meet you there to question them.” Pink hesitated. “Find out if there’s a leader I can speak to so I won’t be at it until the end of the orbit, if you can.”

Morganite saluted sharply. “Yes, my Diamond.” She marched off to relay the orders. Pink got back into her vehicle with a sigh. This was going to be a long cycle, but maybe this one situation at least could be resolved without further violence.

It couldn’t. 

Four different rubies claimed to be riot leaders and demanded to be shattered as martyrs. When Pink Diamond attempted to question them as a group they fell immediately to fighting with each other until a stray flame nearly caught Pink’s skirt on fire and she was forced to retreat.

In the hall, Morganite rushed over at once. “Are you all right, my Diamond?” she asked frantically.

“I’m fine,” Pink snapped. “Have any of the other rubies said anything useful?”

“No,” Morganite admitted. “Just the usual nonsense.”

“The usual?” Pink asked.

“Oh… you know,” Morganite said uncertainly. “Insufficient housing, no on-planet work, hardly any off-planet work. And of course the usual claims of provocation from the amethysts.”

“Those sound like reasonable complaints,” Pink said flatly. “Not nonsense.”

“Of course, my Diamond. My apologies.” Morganite said anxiously. 

Pink Diamond sighed. “Just keep them in containment for a few cycles until they calm down,” she said. “There’s nothing more I can do today.”

She returned to the palace, discouraged and miserable. It seemed no matter what she did, no matter what she tried, nothing could be resolved. What else can I do about the riots? She wondered sadly. My sisters will never approve reducing the guards in the area, and I can hardly improve the rubies’ conditions alone! She felt caught, trapped in her role as securely as any other gem.

“If only things could change,” she whispered to the empty room. The silence was reply enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chapter already! let me know if you guys are enjoying this!


	3. Defiance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pink Diamond defies her sisters' commands for the good of Homeworld.

The door slammed open, seizing Pink Diamond’s attention away from her holoscreen. “What have you done?” White Diamond demanded, striding furiously over the threshold.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pink replied coldly, rising to her feet.

“Like hell, you don’t,” White snarled. “I’ve just received the report from Howlite. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out you were plotting against me? Against us?”

Pink Diamond noted dispassionately that she was no longer included in “us”. She wasn’t surprised. She’d been at odds with her sisters nearly from the day she emerged.

“I’m not plotting against anyone,” she said calmly. “I’m merely trying to improve the conditions my gems live under. Is that a crime now?”

“You rerouted nine ships!” White Diamond yelled. “You’ve damaged lines of communication which will take weeks to repair, at a time when we need as many quartzes on planet as we can get! The city will likely be in flames before the orbit ends, and you dare tell me you’ve committed no crime?”

“The city will not be in flames, don’t be ridiculous,” Pink snapped. “If anything, we’ll have less trouble with fewer soldiers roaming the streets. They’ve done nothing but worsen the problem, and if you had any sense you would’ve redirected them yourself orbits ago!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” White retorted coldly. “You’ve never had any real responsibility, not with Blue, Yellow, and I looking out for you, and now you think you can make such decisions alone?” she shook her head. “You’ve made a serious mistake.”

With that, White Diamond turned on her heel and strode from the room as quickly as she had come. Pink dropped back into her chair with a sigh. Of course White would react like this. ‘They all think I’m a fool,’ she thought bitterly. ‘As if they’ve gotten anywhere with the same violent solutions they bring out for every problem.’ 

Shattering every gem who stepped out of line did nothing but foster resentment. New solutions were needed, but her sisters would never listen.

It occurred to her that White Diamond was surely furious about the rerouted quartzes, and felt uneasy. There was no telling how her sisters would respond to what they perceived as an attack against them. Pink had not planned for her actions to be discovered so soon.

‘It doesn’t matter.’ she told herself. She had come this far, and would not be deterred. There was no point in being a Diamond if she could not use her power to help her gems.

Hours later, she was startled by a faint tapping at the door. She looked toward it uncertainly. “Yes?” she called.

The door opened slightly, and a blue pearl nervously peered in. “My Diamond,” The pearl whispered, curtsying.

“What does my sister want?” Pink inquired sharply. This was unusual. Of all her sisters, she would have least expected Blue to send her pearl to deliver a message. Pink didn’t think she’d ever even seen this pearl alone.

“Blue Diamond has something of great importance to share with you,” The pearl murmured. “She wishes to see you in her rooms at once.”

Pink hesitated. What could be so important as to send the pearl off alone but did not allow Blue to simply come herself?

“All right,” she said decisively, standing up. Whatever was in store, it was surely best to face it head on. “Lead the way,” she told the pearl.

“Oh, you made it,” Blue Diamond said softly, glancing up at them. “I wasn’t sure you would come.”

“What’s going on?” Pink asked. Her eyes darted around the room as she wondered if this was some sort of trap. None of her sisters had invited her into their personal quarters in orbits, and after the events of the cycle it was stranger still.

“I thought you should hear this from me,” Blue said quietly. “Three of your Morganites have been detained. White Diamond means to put them on trial for treason.”

“Treason?” Pink gasped. “How can they be charged with treason? They have done nothing but follow my orders!”

“That is not an argument that will persuade our sister,” Blue told her coldly. “As she is very close to charging you with treason as well. How could you think to sabotage our defenses without consequence?”

“I have sabotaged nothing, as I told our sister hours ago!” Pink shouted. “We don’t need swarms of soldiers in the streets, riling up our gems and causing nothing but violence! I’ve told you this. I’ve told all of you! But you refused to listen, so I had to act.” Fury bubbled under her skin. Her Morganites, arrested for nothing! How could White Diamond do this?

“I know what you’ve told us,” Blue said. “And you’ve heard our answer. You did not have the authority to defy us, and you have put much at risk. Not that you would understand anything of risk.”

“I am as much a Diamond as any of you,” Pink retorted. “I’ve done my best to lead my gems for a thousand orbits now. How can you say that?”

“You have only ever ruled alongside the three of us!” Blue shouted. The frustration she felt was palpable in the room. “You have refused to take on the duties of running a colony, you have refused to listen to my counsel, or to anyone’s! You are young, I know. But you have to recognize that our authority is shared. You cannot make foolish, defiant decisions alone!”

“I will do what I must!” Pink screamed back. 

There was a ringing silence.

“Fine,” Blue said quietly. “Then there is nothing more to say. Go.” she turned away and Pink Diamond hesitated for only a moment before striding silently from the room. 

By the time the suns rose to signal the start of the cycle, there was a pale pearl at her door with an urgent summons to a meeting with her sisters. Pink readied herself grimly as she strode through the palace. There was nothing more she could do. Her decisions were blocked on every side, and with her top generals arrested, probably already shattered, she would have even less of a chance to right the terrible wrongs being inflicted across Homeworld. ‘It doesn’t matter what happens now,’ she told herself. ‘At least I tried.’

She wondered if White Diamond would dare to shatter her. She supposed a new Pink Diamond could be manufactured. Perhaps the next one would succeed where she had failed. The thought cheered her slightly.

The meeting room was very quiet. No gems were present besides her sisters, arrayed around the massive table. Pink settled herself into the final seat without a word and met White Diamond’s gaze unflinchingly.

“Well?” she inquired icily, when it seemed none of her sisters would speak. Neither Blue nor Yellow would look at her, and she felt a sudden certainty that she really was to be shattered. She turned her eyes back to White Diamond and waited.

“You already know why we are here,” White said finally. “To discuss your betrayal, and what is to be done about it.”

“Shatter me, then,” Pink snapped. “I’ve done only what I had to.”

Yellow Diamond flinched visibly. “We would never do that!” she gasped. Her eyes darted around the table. “That’s not the solution.”

“It’s your solution to every other problem,” Pink pointed out.

“You’re our sister,” Yellow responded quietly. “We would never shatter you.”

“What, then?” Pink asked, suddenly exhausted.

White Diamond sighed. “We’ve discussed it,” she said. “And we believe that if you are given the chance to exercise your own authority, you will come to see the necessity of the decisions we make.”

Pink was shocked. “My own authority?” she questioned. “What do you mean?”

“It is time for you to have your own colony,” White said flatly. “You need to learn, once and for all, what it means to be a Diamond.”


	4. Exile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pink Diamond wrestles with the inevitable consequences of Earth's colonization.

Pink Diamond stepped slowly out of the ship onto the surface of the moon. A crowd of Bismuths were already hard at work in the distance assembling the base, but she didn’t feel like waiting. The ship was cramped, and the trip had been far too long. She could see the planet in the distance, glittering green and blue, and felt a deep sadness at what it would be by the time she left. But it wasn’t as thought she had a choice.

“Is everything all right, my Diamond?” Pearl asked anxiously.

Pink glanced over. She kept forgetting the pearl was there. She was a “gift” from White Diamond, as though Pink couldn’t tell she was meant to spy. White knew she didn’t want a pearl, especially not one of the white pearls from the palace. Recoloring the pearl’s hair an unnatural shade of pink didn’t change the fact that she would only ever be truly loyal to White Diamond, and her presence felt like little more than another insult.

“I’m fine,” she said cooly. “You may wait in the ship.”

“Yes, my Diamond,” Pearl replied quickly. She saluted and hurried back toward the ship. 

‘It’s just as well,’ Pink thought. The pearl didn’t look like she cared much for the moon anyway. Not that the moon seemed very exciting to her, either. Just dust and rocks and crater. She sighed and headed toward the semi-constructed base.

“My Diamond!” a Bismuth yelped, clearly startled to see her outside the ship. She attempted to salute despite the giant girder she was holding and looked even more panicked.

“I just wanted to see how the construction was going,” Pink said, in what she hoped was a reassuring tone. 

“It’s going great!” Bismuth said. “We should be done by the end of next cycle- next planetary cycle,” she corrected quickly. 

“They’re shorter than standard cycles, aren’t they?” Pink asked. She’d really only skimmed the reports about the planet. It would all be destroyed anyway, and she couldn’t help wanting to know as little as possible about what it was. What it could’ve been.

“Yeah,” Bismuth told her cheerfully. “By half almost. It’ll be weird to adjust, I guess.” 

Pink was pleased that she already seemed more comfortable about speaking to a Diamond, and was glad she hadn’t brought the pearl. She’d always thought there was no more uncomfortable display of status than being followed everywhere by a pearl, and she wanted these gems to like her.

“It will be difficult,” she agreed. “Will the planetary warps be functional soon?”

“Another few cycles,” Bismuth said. 

“Have you seen any of it yet?” Pink asked hesitantly.

“The planet?” Bismuth asked, surprised. “Yeah, I was on a couple of the preliminary surveying missions. It’s real nice.”

“Yes. For now,” Pink said.

“My Diamond?” Bismuth asked warily. 

“Never mind. I’ll leave you to your work. I’m sure there’s much to do before the colony is underway.” Pink said, and hurried away. She realized that she was heading right back to the ship, but she knew there wasn’t really anywhere else to go. She would only be in the way hanging around the base.

Of course, when she returned to the ship the pearl was waiting for her. ‘This is exactly why I didn’t want one,’ she thought. She not only valued her privacy, but was deeply uncomfortable with the idea of having an endlessly devoted slave at all. The reverence of the common gems was bad enough.

“How was your walk, my Diamond?” Pearl asked immediately.

“It was fine,” Pink said tiredly. She felt as though she said some variation of ‘it’s fine’ twenty times a day.

“Is there anything you need, my Diamond?” Pearl asked, pressing on despite Pink’s clear ambivalence. “I could bring up a holocast while you relax.”

“I already have a holoscreen,” Pink snapped. “I’d like to be alone. Just go, I’ll summon you if I need you.”

“Of course, my Diamond,” Pearl said quickly. She saluted and hurried from the room.

Pink Diamond wondered immediately if she’d been too harsh. The pearl’s presence was frustrating, but it wasn’t her fault. She had far less of a choice in this than Pink did. Comparing her to a holoscreen had likely been a few steps too far. She sank miserably into a chair and wondered how she was ever going to make it through this.

Cycles later, she sat in the moon base, scrolling past the endless reports from the planet. They never seemed to stop since kindergarten construction had begun. “What am I supposed to do with any of this?” she muttered to herself.

“I don’t know, my Diamond,” Pearl piped up from where she’d been forgotten once again, standing beside the throne. “I think they just mean to keep you informed.”

“I know,” Pink sighed. “It’s just- boring. And I’ve told you a thousand times, you don’t have to include ‘my Diamond’ in every sentence you say. It drives me crazy.”

“Of course my- of course,” Pearl responded softly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Pink told her with another sigh.

“Would you like me to sing?” Pearl asked hopefully. “To turn your mind from the reports?”

Pink, glad that she’d managed to drop the honorific for once, gestured for her to go ahead. As Pearl began to sing, Pink Diamond looked away from the holoscreen, out toward the Earth. She still hadn’t been to the surface, and had in fact been doing everything she could to avoid it, but she was beginning to think she should finally go. ‘It isn’t fair,’ she thought. ‘To destroy this place without ever seeing it. It should be remembered, at least.’

Suddenly making up her mind, she turned to Pearl, interrupting to ask, “Pearl, would you like to see Earth? Up close?”

“Are you proposing a trip?” Pearl asked uncertainly. She knew how fervently Pink had been avoiding the place. “I’d be happy to accompany you, if you wish.”

“Excellent,” Pink said, rising decisively to her feet. “Let’s go find a warp pad.”

The first thing Pink Diamond noticed when she stepped off the warp pad was the warmth. “Earth certainly has a wonderful atmosphere,” she remarked, breathing deeply. Pearl murmured an agreement, looking around curiously.

“There are so many green things,” Pearl said. “I saw the green from the moon, but I didn’t think it would be so- varied.”

“Yes,” Pink agreed. “It’s lovely.” Despite herself, she felt her spirits lift at the beauty of the world around her. Then she saw the kindergarten. 

It stood out from the green world around it, ugly and unavoidable. The earth was dull, cracked, and already riddled with emergence holes, and Pink Diamond remembered with harsh clarity what her goal here truly was. All this life would be destroyed. This beautiful planet would be nothing but a graveyard by the time she left, and she realized without a doubt that she couldn’t bear to spend another second on the surface.

“My Diamond?” Pearl asked, alarmed by Pink’s sudden change in demeanor. “Are you well?”

“Let’s just go,” Pink Diamond snapped. She turned away hastily nearly stumbling as she climbed back onto the warp pad. As soon as her feet touched the floor of the moon base she raced away, shutting herself into her room to sob. 

She wished with all her heart that she didn’t have to be responsible for this destruction, that she had never been forced to leave Homeworld. As the full knowledge of what it meant to be a Diamond washed over her, she wished with miserable desperation that she could go back, undo fate, and emerge as any other gem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl's here! Pink is nearly ready to rebel! please comment and let me know how I'm doing!


	5. Rebellion, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pink Diamond finally realizes what she has to do to save the Earth.

Pink Diamond sat alone in her room, pouring over the lastest reports. She could no longer ignore what her gems were doing to the Earth, and she was struggling to formulate a plan. ‘There must be some way to save it,’ she thought furiously. ‘At least some part of this world must be salvaged.’

The reports were mostly useless, just dull records of kindergarten status, gem production rates, and supply deliveries. Several grand structures were already underway. She paused in confusion at one of the diagrams. “Pearl,” she called, and Pearl darted immediately into the room.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Do you know what this is?” Pink asked, rotating the diagram so that Pearl could see it. “The report says it’s a standard structure.”

Pearl studied the diagram carefully. “Oh,” she said. “Yes, that’s a sky arena. A few of them are always built on colony planets.”

“Why?” Pink asked, mystified.

“I believe they’re typically used for training new quartz soldiers,” Pearl explained. “They have fights on them too, for entertainment, once the colony is completed.”

“Can’t they just have the fights on the surface?” Pink Diamond asked, exasperated once again by her sisters’ absurd contrivances.

Pearl hesitated, looking nervous. “The surface will be unstable,” she said quietly. “The completion of the colony tends to deplete the crust. And the sky arena’s are...nicer.” She knew how unhappy the planet’s destruction made her Diamond, and she hoped this wouldn’t be another reason for her distress.

Pink frowned at the diagram. “Yes, of course,” she said with a bitter sigh. “It does look nice, at least.” 

“Will that be all, my Diamond?” Pearl asked, edging toward the door.

Pink Diamond glanced at her. “Yes, that was my only question. You still don’t have to do the ‘my Diamond’ thing, you know”

“Yes- I’m sorry,” Pearl said quickly. “It’s just a habit.”

“I’m not even really your Diamond,” Pink pointed out tiredly. Pearl tensed. 

“I am completely loyal to you!” she said insistently.

“I know my sister sent you here to keep tabs on me,” Pink said gently. “I don’t mind. I knew she would never send me off into the galaxy without some way to know what I’m up to.”

“I haven’t told her anything!” Pearl gasped. “Not that you’ve done anything- but I would never betray you!” 

“Not even to White Diamond?” Pink asked, surprised and curious. She was certain that Pearl’s orders had been clear, and she had been wondering why her sisters hadn’t grown anxious enough to show up in person already. She knew she was hardly running the colony on the expected schedule.

Pearl looked uncertain and confused. “I-I agree with your decisions here,” she said. “I don’t want to put your goals at risk. And- my reports don’t need to be comprehensive.”

Pink Diamond was surprised. Shocked, even. She hadn’t thought Pearls had the ability to pick and choose how they obeyed their orders. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of smug satisfaction as well, that Pearl considered her worthy of such an effort.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “I admit, I haven’t been sharing much of my plans with you, for fear that my sisters would hear too much. You really don’t have to tell her everything?”

“I wouldn’t be able to disobey a direct order,” Pearl explained, “But slight- edits, in what information I send her, are not impossible.”

“You really think what I’m trying to do is right?” Pink asked suddenly. She had never felt as though any gems truly understood why she disagreed with her sisters, and even those who had helped her on Homeworld had only been following her orders.

“Yes of course!” Pearl exclaimed. “So many worlds have been destroyed! White Diamond and her soldiers have decimated the galaxy while I watched and you’re the first gem who really seems to care! This planet even has sentient life, and if any of it can be spared-”

“Wait- what?” Pink interrupted. “This planet has sentient life?”

“Was that not in the reports…?” Pearl asked softly.

“No,” Pink Diamond said. “It wasn’t.”

Anger swelled inside her. She knew that must have been left out intentionally, most certainly on White Diamond’s orders. As though the lost of the plants and the animals was not bad enough, she was meant to be responsible for the loss of sentients.

“Do you have the information about them?” she asked. Silently, Pearl summoned the previously redacted reports. Pink stared at the holographic images with dismay. Humans, the creatures were called. The even looked like gems. She had to turn away, sinking back onto her seat.

“Of course my sisters wouldn’t care,” she murmured. “They kill gems easily enough. These are just another meaningless organic species, to them.”

“I’m sorry,” Pearl said quietly. “I thought you knew.”

A sudden clarity swept over Pink Diamond. For the first time in her existence, she was certain of what she had to do. She could no longer stand by while the Diamond Authority swept through the universe, destroying everything in its path. She had to finally stand up to them, had to finally put a stop to it. ‘And here,’ she realized. ‘Maybe I can.’

Her mind raced. She was too far out in space for her sisters to have many reliable sources of information. And White Diamond would assume that anything worth knowing would be relayed by her pearl. 

“I have an army,” she said aloud. “I could stand against them.”

Pearl started. “What?” she gasped, shocked. “The Diamonds?”

“Will you swear to relay nothing of this?” Pink demanded suddenly. “I may be able to save this planet if I have your loyalty, Pearl, please.”

“I- I promise,” Pearl managed. “I said I wouldn’t betray you- do you really think you can stop them?”

Pink hesitated. “No,” she admitted. “Even with all the gems I have here I’d still be far outnumbered. But maybe I can hold this planet. Maybe I can save something. I have to save something.”

“As soon as they know you’ve gone to war with them, they’ll decimate this planet!” Pearl cried, emboldened by terror. “They’ll be ready for this, they’ll expect it!”

‘She’s right,’ Pink Diamond realized abruptly. She could never hope to stand against their armies, and she couldn’t order her gems to die. She felt the brief flare of hope die down. She was just as trapped as she’d ever been.

“Unless-” Pearl began hesitantly.

“Unless what?”

“Unless they didn’t know it was you,” Pearl murmured. “If another gem turned on the Diamond Authority they wouldn’t… they wouldn’t be so concerned.”

The quiet suggestion struck Pink Diamond like a lightning bolt. “Pearl, you are brilliant!” she gasped, pulling up the holoscreen, and frantically scrolling past reams of mindless data. She stopped on the report she’d received just three cycles earlier. The new gems she had commissioned had begun to emerge, just as pink as she was. The perfect disguise. They both stared, Pink Diamond in triumph, Pearl simply in shock, at the image of the first Rose Quartz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's happening! please leave a comment if you like this!


	6. Rebellion, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the rebellion begins in earnest, Pink Diamond struggles to keep her sisters from knowing the truth.

Pink Diamond twisted back and forth, studying her reflection in the still water. “Do you think I look all right?” she asked Pearl. “If Blue recognizes me…”

“She won’t,” Pearl promises. “No one could tell that you were ever anything but a quartz. And no one even knows what these new quartzes look like. You’ll be fine.”

“Lots of gems know,” Pink said. “They started emerging cycles ago. All the kindergarteners have seen them.”

“Okay,” Pearl conceded. “But none of the gems who would be allowed in the sky arena while Blue Diamond is there will know what a Rose Quartz looks like. And even if they did, you look perfect. I didn’t even know it was possible to reorient your gem like that.”

Pink shrugged. “I didn’t think it was either,” she admitted. “I’ve never heard of any other gem doing it.”

“That must be the advantage of being a Diamond,” Pearl told her with a small smile.

“Shh,” Pink Diamond said, laughing. “You’ll give me away.” 

She hesitated for a moment, becoming serious. “Are you sure you want to come with me?” she asked. “If they recognize you…”

“How could they recognize me?” Pearl asked, sighing. “Maybe if White Diamond was here she’d know who I was, but even then, there are thousands of me. And there are more than enough pearls on this planet to make identifying one close to impossible.”

“I know, I know,” Pink murmured. “I just- I don’t want you to get hurt. What if this goes wrong? They can’t do much to me, but you would be shattered!”

Pearl gently touched her hand. “It won’t go wrong,” she promised. “The plan is good. They’ll believe there’s a rebellion brewing among the common gems, and the other Diamonds won’t be able to argue when you delay the colony’s completion. But it won’t work if they don’t think we’re serious. And it won’t work if you’re alone.”

Pink Diamond clasped her hand. She knew Pearl was right. They needed at least two rebels to make an appearance if they were to convince Blue and all the other aristocrats that the situation was worthy of concern, and Pink was not yet willing to risk the few loyal soldiers she had in a full out battle. Rose Quartz drew more followers to her every day, but they weren’t ready for a war. A show of strength, and of a real willingness to fight would get plenty more gems on her side, but first they had to make it through the battle. 

She took a deep breath, and smiled at Pearl. “Let’s go.”

* * *

By the time they landed on the surface again, Pink Diamond’s head was spinning. She couldn’t believe they’d succeeded, and she couldn’t believe what she’d seen. A hybrid fusion! The idea itself was a myth!

“Do you think that went well?” Pearl asked, jolting her from her thoughts.

“Yes!” Pink exclaimed. “Wasn’t it amazing? Blue will be furious!”

“I suppose,” Pearl said uncertainly. “They’ll have to take the rebellion seriously now.”

“And did you see that fusion?” Pink asked with delight. “I never even knew that was possible! A brand new gem!”

“It was- surprising,” Pearl said. “I’ve heard of it happening a few times, but isn’t it- dangerous? I’ve always heard that hybrid fusions are terribly unstable.”

“Really?” Pink Diamond said in surprise. “I never even heard it had happened at all. I thought it was just a legend, or an untried idea.”

“White Diamond had it tested a long time ago,” Pearl said. “ But it didn’t work out. That’s why it’s forbidden now.”

Pink Diamond shrugged. She’d never agreed with her sisters’ ideas of what should be allowed, and the fusion hadn’t seemed exceptionally dangerous. ‘It was new,’ she thought. All she’d ever wanted was for the rules imposed upon gemkind to lessen, to give them all the opportunity to be something other than what they were made for. The possibility of any real change had always been a distant dream, but now, as Pink Diamond stood disguised as a Quartz on the bank of an alien river beside a Pearl holding the sword she had just wielded in battle, it seemed closer than it ever had before.

“We’d better get back to the moon, don’t you think?” Pearl asked anxiously. She didn’t like the distant look in Pink’s eyes. “Blue Diamond will want to discuss what happened. We have to be there.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Pink Diamond said. “My sister will surely be storming her way to the base any minute. It’s too bad I have to shift back,” she added, glancing toward her reflection in the pool. “I think I’m starting to prefer this form.”

“I don’t blame you,” Pearl said with a laugh. “You did an excellent job designing the Rose Quartzes.” 

* * *

Returning to the moon base was a sobering affair. Pink Diamond hated having to slip once again into her towering Diamond form and take over her role. As soon as she reformed she had to resume responsibility for the colony and all the gems who lived there. She wished that she could give all her gems a choice other than to obey her. At least when she was Rose Quartz she knew that gems listened to her willingly. ‘If I can take this planet,’ she thought. ‘I won’t ever have to change back.’

The notification display on the console started beeping angrily, and Pink sighed as she turned it on. Blue Diamond’s furious face glared at her from the holoscreen. “How can you have mismanaged a colony this badly?” Blue Diamond demanded. 

Pink settled into her seat and glared back at her sister. “Mismanaged?” she asked coldly. “I take it you’ve experienced the troubles I’ve been having for yourself, then?”

“You’ve only been here a few orbits!” Blue snapped. “You’ve got Quartzes and Pearls, of all gems, attacking my court! Why haven’t you put a stop to it?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do,” Pink snapped. “I have been doing my best to control this colony, which you may recall I never wanted in the first place, and now you accuse me of mismanagement? I’ll gladly listen to your suggestions, if you have any.”

Blue Diamond glowered. “Find these gems and destroy them,” she snarled. 

“Oh, find them, what a lovely suggestion,” Pink drawled back. “This is a rather large planet, if you hadn’t noticed.”

Blue Diamond took a deep breath, visibly struggling to control her anger. “I need to consult with our sisters,” She said finally. “Keep us informed about the situation. Something must be done before it’s too late to salvage this colony.”

Pink rolled her eyes and sarcastically saluted her sister, then switched off the screen. She scowled. She didn’t want the other Diamonds getting involved so soon, and she knew that she couldn’t succeed in a war against all of them.

“Pearl!” she called. Pearl appeared almost immediately, once again wearing her standard pink dress.

“Is everything alright?” She glanced toward the screen. “What did Blue Diamond say?”

“She’s going to consult the others,” Pink said with a sigh.

Her mind raced as she tried to plan, to work out how to save the planet with her sisters watching her more closely by the day. She knew they didn’t quite believe a rebellion on her first colony was a coincidence, and she knew she would have to think fast to stay ahead of them.

“It’s time to build Rose Quartz’s army,” she told Pearl with a grim smile. “It’s time to fight.”


	7. Corruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war ends.

Rose Quartz had known for cycles that the war would be over soon. Her shattering was the final straw. Homeworld gems were fleeing the planet in desperate hordes, just as she had planned. Nothing could shake the confidence of their enemies like the knowledge that even a Diamond could be shattered. It was meant to be the final blow. A message to the armies still loyal to their shining image of Pink, and of all the Diamonds, ‘Your leader is dead. You cannot win. Go home.’ 

She stood triumphant on the hill, Pearl and Garnet by her side, watching as gems fought for a place on the last functional galaxy warp. But, slowly, unease was beginning to creep into her mind. “Does this seem to easy?” she asked quietly. 

Pearl glanced up at her, the same unease reflected in her eyes. “Yes,” she said. “Where are the other Diamonds? They must have heard by now. Why aren’t they trying to rally their forces?”

Rose nodded and looked at Garnet. “Can you see anything?” she asked. “They may be planning something…”

Garnet stilled, closing her eyes briefly as she looked toward the future. Suddenly she went stiff, horrified shock shooting across her face. “Your shield!” she shouted. “Hurry!”

Her warning had barely rung out in time as three Diamond ships came into view. Rose summoned her shield instinctively in the second before a piercing white light and a horrible song filled the air. Rose dragged Pearl and Garnet beneath the shield’s cover, unable to comprehend the force that was on the verge of buckling it. The noise seemed to last forever.

When silence finally fell, Rose barely noticed over the ringing in her ears. “What happened?” She managed, dropping her shield as she struggled to blink the afterimage of that terrible light from her eyes.

There was no answer. Pearl and Garnet stood frozen, staring out at the battlefield, which moments before had been crawling with gems, fleeing, fighting, or celebrating what had seemed like a certain victory. It was empty. 

“Where- where did everyone go?” she asked, trying to understand what she was seeing. Then her eyes fell on a spot of garish color against the green of the field. She stared at the shard for a long moment, not understanding, not wanting to understand. Slowly, she raised her eyes to survey the whole field.

There were shards. Nothing but shards as far as she could see. Piled on the grass, glittering on the warp pad. Weapons caught the sunlight, lying where they’d been dropped.

“No,” Garnet whispered. “This can’t be… it can’t be everyone.” Pearl was sobbing silently over a nearby axe that Rose had seen Nephrite holding. Rose tried not to look at the green shards beside it. 

“We have to- have to go,” Rose managed finally. She squeezed her eyes shut. “We have to get to the local warp. Gems who were father away from- from the blast may be alright. I have to find someone I can still heal, we have to go.”

Neither Pearl nor Garnet moved, still frozen in the face of this horror. “Pearl!” Rose shouted desperately. “We have to get away from here!” Pearl finally raised her head, nodding shakily, but Garnet remained still.

Deciding against trying to move her, Rose Quartz grabbed Pearl’s hand and rushed to the nearest local warp. “We’ll get back to the camp,” she heard herself saying. “Everyone will be okay there, or fixable, it will be fine.” 

But the camp was no different. Upon seeing the newest field of shards, Pearl simply collapsed, watching dully as Rose raced back and forth searching for someone who might still be intact. Her healing tears fell freely on the ground, but nothing stirred, until finally Rose gave a cry of relief, snatching up a tourmaline that wasn’t missing any obvious pieces. Her tears fell across the gems single crack and it sealed, though rings of discoloration remained etched on its surface. 

She stepped back as the gem began to glow, only to stare in uncomprehending shock at creature that began to form. “Tourmaline?” she whispered. The many-limbed horror before her gave only an ear-splitting shriek in response, and lunged.

Rose screamed as she was knocked backward, forming a bubble automatically. “Pearl!” she screamed again. The bubble was straining, about to burst from the mindless, clawing attack. Suddenly the creature let out another shriek, this time in pain, as it’s form dissipated. It’s gem thudded to the ground and Rose looked up at Pearl, clutching her sword and staring in disbelief at the gem on the ground.

“What-what was that?” Pearl whispered. 

“I don’t know,” Rose said, dissolving her bubble. “I thought it was Tourmaline, but when I healed her-” she broke off, unable to fully verbalize what had happened. 

Pearl reached out hesitantly toward the gem on the ground, and studied it nervously before creating a small containment bubble around it. “Just so she doesn’t reform,” Pearl said. “Until we can fix her.”

“Right,” Rose agreed shakily. A terrible thought occurred to her. “Do you think that happened to anyone else?” she asked, dreading the answer.

Pearl shrugged fearfully. “We should get Garnet,” she said softly. “Before we go looking for any more survivors.”

***

The battlefield was unchanged when they returned, but Garnet was waiting for them. She looked at the bubble that floated alongside them. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have warned you about that.”

“Do you know what it is?” Rose asked hopefully. “Can we fix her?” 

Garnet shook her head. “I don’t know,” she replied quietly. “I couldn’t see this- I couldn’t see any of this coming until it was too late.”

“Can you see if anyone else survived?” Pearl asked. “Anyone who didn’t get turned into a monster?”

“No,” Garnet admitted with regret. “Whatever the Diamonds did…” she trailed off, glancing toward the sky, toward the place where the ships had appeared. “I’ve never even heard of anything like it.”

“Neither have I,” Rose said. She thought desperately back across all her discussions with her sisters, all the plans that had been talked over while they thought they were helping her quell the rebellion. They never knew Pink Diamond had turned against them. Fearing the retaliation that her sisters would bring against her gems, Pink had made sure that no one but Pearl ever knew. 

‘Why wouldn’t they tell me they had a weapon like this?’ she wondered frantically. She never would have risked staging her shattering if she’d thought such a thing was possible. ‘They knew I’d object,’ she realized grimly. ‘Of course they couldn’t use it until I was dead.’

“At least they’re gone,” Pearl said softly. 

“Yes,” Rose agreed. 

‘At least there’s that,’ she thought. ‘The planet is nearly free of gems entirely. The humans have their chance to live and change in peace. Isn’t that what I wanted, what I was fighting for, in the beginning?’

The three of them stared up into the empty sky as the sun slipped below the horizon, the air slowly coming alive with the sound of chirping crickets. 

“We won.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it, the end of the Great Gem War. I hope everyone liked the story! I might write an epilogue or a sequel at some point if there's interest, so please leave a comment and let me know what you thought!


End file.
